Boohwal is a legendary rock band originating from South Korea. Since 1986, they’ve been through tremendous changes in members, in style; they’ve passed through so many challenges that only keep them going and become stronger and better every each day. Click here to check out [ALL MUSIC VIDEOS] of Boohwal over the years.

A lot of foreign fans don’t know how to get Boohwal’s CDs abroad, so please go to the red button on the right side to check out the sites where you can get their CDs abroad – please note that I DO NOT provide links for free downloads.

The “Rock Rock Rock” miniseries that was aired recently, taking the theme of Kim Tae-Won’s life story have drawn a lot of attention to Boohwal both from within Korea and internationally. Click on the correlating [Rock Rock Rock] button on the left to find the details about this drama.

You can find the list of most recent posts in this site on the left-hand side and categories organized below.
Top posts and comments could be found on your right-hand side, as well as monthly archive from March 2010-2011.

*On-record, this is post number 178 on https://boohwal.wordpress.com and right to this point of one-year anniversary, the blog has been visited over 46,200 times. Thank you for all of your never ending interest in Boohwal.* -겁많은사자, 18 March 2011-

When one thought of Boohwal Seo Jae-Hyuck, bass always comes to mind. A musical instrument he’s spent 20 years with. The affection is as sweet as newly weds, thick and strong. Of course it’s not always turbulent. That’s how it is these days. There’s a change in Seo Jae-Hyuck’s heart. The love is the same as always. But he feels some indication of affairs.

“왜 그런지 모르겠지만, 베이스 연주가보다 창작가로 불리는 게 더 기분 좋다.”

“I don’t know why, but I prefer being called a composer than a bassist.”

The time he’s spending with bass is decreasing bit by bit. Instead, he holds the pen in his hands and draw bean sprouts (musical notes). The hand drawing those curves is very smooth. It’s been 17 years since he first started composing music. Under the bass’ shades, he developed his skills without others noticing.

There’s no special reason why he writes songs. He just think of it as a passage to be a musician. He writes most of his songs in the church. He gains experience by developing various prayer songs (hymns). His spirit is as high as his dreams with music. Even when he was still in the police school (military service) he almost never skipped church to write songs.

1984년 서재혁이 동물원에서 얼룩말과 코끼리를 배경으로 포즈를 취하고 있다.

=Seo Jae-Hyuck in a zoo (1984), zebras and elephants in the background=

“그 때 만든 곡들을 가끔 연주한다. 유치하지만 귀엽고 예쁜 느낌이 들어 동심으로 돌아가게 된다.”

“Sometimes I played the songs I wrote back then. They’re childish, but cute; and I find them beautiful it feels like I’m returning to innocence.”

After discharged from the police service, Seo Jae-Hyuck wrote a lot of songs. Just as singers who appeared on TV, he also wanted to stand on the stage. But everytime, he always felt unsatisfied with the songs he writes. He couldn’t write songs out of the pattern of religious hymn. He felt rock-ballad like a tall mountain he couldn’t pass through.

“이전까지 락 음악을 접할 기회가 거의 없었다. 심도 깊은 이해에 상당한 시간이 걸렸다.”

“I almost never had the opportunity to come accross rock music before. It took a very long time to make me really understand the spirit of it.”

He started to gradually grab of the basis of composition after he met Boohwal. The development was hidden in his hard work living a double life. While playing the bass, he separately spends the time learning to compose songs. If he hits a wall, he’d pour all his questions to Boohwal’s leader Kim Tae-Won whose in-charge of song composition. He was so obstinate and keen, that at one point Kim Tae-Won was so annoyed as if he was a cockroach.

Seo Jae-Hyuck’s growth (as a musician) was the start of a new turn for Boohwal. He widen the range of Boohwal’s music by writing songs of different genre,such as “노을” (Glow in the Sunset), “개미” (Ant), “또다시 사랑이” (Love, again), “섬” (Island), “파이란” (Failan), “Oz,” and others. The song “Glow in the Sunset” which was written in 2005, in particular, was inserted in the trailer of the movie “The Dirty Carnival,” and was loved by the public. So he thinks.

서재혁(왼쪽)은 베니와 함께 2005년 상상밴드로 데뷔할 수 있었다. 말 못할 사정으로 계획은 어긋났다.

=Seo Jae-Hyuck (left and Bennie debuted in 2005 as “SangSang Band.” Due to an incident the team broke off.=

“내 곡들이 그간 부활 스타일과 조금 다르다. 한정된 느낌이 짙던 부활 음악의 껍질을 깨는데 일조하고 있다고 생각한다.”

“My songs are different fromBoohwal’s style. I think I contributed to peeling off the shell of Boohwal’s music that was monotonous.”

Although various songs were inserted into Boohwal’s album, he didn’t feel satisfied. He has an ambition about writing a song that touches people’s hearts. Thus he likes to open the window at his house and look down to the Han River. That’s his way of getting inspiration for his music.

As Kim Tae-Won, he doesn’t limit his ears. He starts and ends his day listening to jazz. He believes that one should always listen to music to be able to create new ideas. That’s why he keeps his hope. For a wide breadth of Boohwal’s music universe.

“I tends to get inspirations from young fellows a lot . Sometimes they even surprise me, making me think ‘Wow, you could also make music this way!’ I think it’ll be of help for Boohwal. Since the music I pursue is different with Tae-Won Hyeong’s style, I think it could enrich the width of Boohwal’s music.